


What Makes You Happy

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Awesome David Geyer, Awesome Jenna Geyer, College Student Liam, Doctor Theo Raeken, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Good Theo Raeken, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Stressed Liam Dunbar, Theo is a good boyfriend, they're great parents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-12
Updated: 2018-03-12
Packaged: 2019-03-30 02:59:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13941138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: When Liam messes up and ruins his chances at medical school he expects the world to come crashing down. It doesn't. In fact, sometimes even the bad things seem to work out for the best.





	What Makes You Happy

**Author's Note:**

> I'm supposed to be on a writing break, but I channeled all my stress about finals into this fic. I needed it. It's probably pure self-indulgence. But I hope everyone enjoys it anyway.

  
[Banner by E_wolfwisegirl](https://ewolfwitchwisegirl.tumblr.com/)

Liam feels like he’s losing it. He’s barely holding on to his sanity and it’s getting harder and harder not to freak out. He’s failing one of his classes. Despite working his ass off and studying he’s still failing. He needs a 96 on his final to pass. While it’s not _impossible,_ it’s not exactly a likely scenario.

He has no idea what to do. He’s worked so hard to get here. He should be finishing and graduating in less than 100 days. But here he is, staring down into the deep abyss, knowing if he makes one wrong move he’s going to plunge over and there will be no way back.

He hasn’t told anyone what’s going on. He’s too ashamed. How can he possibly tell his Dad that all the strings he pulled and all the money they’ve paid have been for nothing? He’s sure his parents will be furious.

His friends and the pack will just look at him with pity and disappointment. Some had told him not to go to medical school. That it wasn’t his calling. But he hadn’t listened. He was sure if he worked hard enough he could pull it off. He was wrong.

Liam closes his eyes, trying to fight back the panic rising in his chest as he goes over his notes one more time. He can’t go into the exam freaking out like this. It will just lead to him second guessing everything. If he does that he’ll definitely fail.

He folds his papers and puts them away, squaring his shoulders as he walks towards the building. He tries to ignore the way the professor glances his way, probably trying to figure out why Liam even bothered showing up. Liam had wondered that himself. But he came this far, like hell was he going to back down or cower away. He at least has to try.

The test is brutal. Despite all the studying Liam still feels completely out of his depth. He stares at the screen as his result shows up. His chest tightens and his breathing comes quicker. He’d really done it. He’d failed out of medical school. And by two points. That was the worst part. He was _so_ close.

Liam signs out of the website and shuts down his computer, trying to walk as slowly and quietly out of the room as he can. He can feel eyes on him again but resolutely ignores them.

Once he’s out of the room he walks as quickly as he can back to his apartment without actually running. He does almost turn around and leave when he gets there and hears Theo on the other side of the door. But he knows if he heard Theo than Theo must have heard him. He’d be out of the apartment and chasing Liam down before he even made it to the stairs.

Liam takes a deep breath and opens the door. He takes his time closing the door and putting his keys and wallet in the bowel, keeping his back to Theo as long as he can.

“Liam?” Theo asks, voice soft as he stands up from the couch and walks towards Liam.

Liam closes his eyes, feeling his chest constrict at the sound of Theo’s voice. He’s not going to be able to do this. The moment he looks at Theo he’s going to break. Maybe that’s what he needs.

His shoulders deflate the moment he feels Theo’s hard on his shoulder. “Liam?” Theo tries again, voice just as soft as the first time. “What’s wrong? Did your final not go well?”

Liam opens his mouth to speak but all that comes out is a sob. He whirls around, throwing his arms around Theo and burying his face in his neck. Theo doesn’t hesitate before wrapping his arms around Liam and pulling him close. Liam feels Theo nosing at his hair as his hands run soothingly circles down his back.

“You want to talk about it?” Theo asks, his voice soft as his breath ghosts against Liam’s ear.

It doesn’t have the same affect it usually would, Liam’s far too distraught for that. Theo’s presence surrounds him though and makes him feel safe and secure. He should have talked to Theo before. He would have understood and not judged him.

“I screwed it all up,” Liam whispers. “I didn’t get what I needed on my final so I failed the class. I need the class to carry on.”

“Can’t you retake it?” Theo asks, hands moving up to card through Liam’s hair.

Liam shakes his head, “No, they have a one fail policy. I already had to retake a class before. Damn Pharm. I’d have to re-enroll and start over. I can’t… I can’t go through this again.”

Theo’s quiet for a moment, the only sounds their quiet breathing and the thumping of their hearts. “Then don’t.”

Liam pulls back, wiping at his eyes as he looks at Theo. “What?”

“Don’t. Don’t go back,” Theo says with a shrug, as if telling his boyfriend not to go back to medical school after all the time and money he put into it was just that simple. Maybe to him it was.

To Liam, not so much. He stares at Theo, sputtering out a response. “I can’t… I can’t just not go back! I have to do something!”

“Why?” Theo asks, “Why do you have to? It’s clearly not what you want, and don’t say it is. I know you Liam. We’ve been together for five years. I _know_ you. I’m going to say something, and I don’t want you to take this the wrong way okay?”

Liam nods, mind really already from Theo’s words. “You changed majors so many times before deciding on medical school. And I know people do that, they have to try things before finding what they want. But I don’t think you did that. I think you got scared and decided this was what you needed to do. That it was your last option. You saw your Dad working as a doctor, and then me just finishing up medical school myself and thought you might as well do it, but it’s not what you really want, is it?”

Liam stares at Theo for a moment, playing through Theo’s words. He knows Theo is right. That medical school was never what he wanted, but something he felt like he should do. He remembers how proud his parents had been when he told them he got in. Even then he still felt the doubt and the twisting in his gut at the thought of being a doctor. That doesn’t mean he didn’t try. He still worked hard, but he still felt part of himself dying every day.

“It’s not,” Liam whispers, staring at Theo with wide, wet eyes. “It’s not what I want. It never was.”

Theo moves his hand to Liam’s cheek, brushing his thumb across the skin there. “Then what is? What do you want Liam?”

“I want to be a writer,” Liam whispers, the words sounding loud in the quiet space between them. But he’s not afraid. This is Theo. If there’s anyone he feels safe telling this to it’s him. “I want to write and travel and make a difference. Not the way I would as a doctor but a difference for the supernatural. I want to travel and document what I see.”

Theo smiles that gentle smile that’s only reserved for Liam, “Then do it. Do what makes you happy.”

“But you…”

Theo shakes his head, “I’m due so time off, and wherever we go I’m sure I can find work if need be.”

“You’d really leave all this for me? Leave home?” Liam asks.

“Liam,” Theo sighs, “you’re my home. Wherever you go. I go.”

“And my parents…”

“They’ll understand Liam,” Theo tells him. “They just want you to be happy.”

Liam knows it’ll be more complicated than that. That there will be repercussions for what he’s done. But right now he’s not worried about it. Not anymore. He knows he’s not alone in this. He has Theo. With Theo he can get through everything.

Theo goes with him to talk to his parents the next day. His Mom opens the door with a wide smile when they show up, immediately pulling Liam and then Theo into a hug. His Dad smiles pats them on the back and asks if they want anything to drink.

Liam really wishes he had some wolfsbane laced whiskey but he shakes his head, doing his best to smile at his parents. “I’m fine. I just… could we talk?”

Jenna and David share a look before Jenna is smiling and gesturing towards the couch. “Of course sweetheart. What is it?”

Liam wants to speak but his throat closes up when he opens his mouth. He lets out a long breath when he feels Theo take his hand, rubbing circles across his knuckles.

“It’s okay Liam,” Theo whispers, low enough for just Liam to hear him. “

Liam nods, taking a deep breath. “I’m not gonna back to school. I’m going to travel and write.”

Liam isn’t sure what he’s expecting. Anger. Tears. Looks of disappointment. It’s not what he gets. What he gets is his parents looking at each other before they both start laughing. He looks to Theo who shrugs.

“Great,” Liam mutters, eyeing his parents warily. “I’ve finally driven my parents insane.”

“I’m pretty sure if you were going to drive us insane it would have happened a long time ago Liam,” Jenna says, lips still pulled up in a smile.

“Like when you came to use with the whole werewolf reveal,” David says. “If we can survive that, we can survive anything.”

“So you’re not mad?” Liam asks, looking between the two.

“Mad?” Jenna asks. “Why would we be mad?”

Liam throws his arms up, “Because I just told you I flunked out of medical school and want to go be a traveling writer. I wasted so much time and money. You should be furious.”

“Honey,” Jenna says, moving over to sit next to Liam on the couch. “We’re not mad. We both knew you didn’t want to go to medical school, but you seemed so adamant about it. We thought you’d figure out it wasn’t what you wanted early on, sure. But when you didn’t we just figured you might have at least started liking it a bit. Even then, we always knew your heart wasn’t really in it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Would it have made a difference if we had?” David asks.

Liam sighs, he knows it wouldn’t have. He loves his parents and always listens to their advice but he’s also stubborn. He would have worked harder to prove to them he could do it. Still, he’s a little relieved his parents aren’t completely pissed at him.

“I told you they wouldn’t be mad,” Theo mumbles, nuzzling into Liam’s neck.

“Of course we’re not,” Jenna says, as if the idea of being mad actually offends her. “We just want you to be happy. Both of you. Plus, I think two doctors in the family is more than enough.”

Liam smiles, “I guess so.”

“We just want you to be happy sweetheart,” Jenna says, putting an arm around Liam’s shoulder and pulling him close so she can place a kiss to his forehead. “If that means traveling the world and writing with your handsome doctor boyfriend then so be it. Though, really you should both be considering putting a ring on it by now.”

“Oh my god,” Liam groans, putting his head in his hands. “Stop.”

“I was actually thinking the same thing,” Theo says.

Liam hears movement and peeks out from between his fingers. What he sees has him gaping and moving his hands to cover his mouth. “Holy shit.”

Beside him his Mom squeals and starts scrambling off the couch but he can’t be bothered caring. Not when Theo is in front of him. On one knee. With a black velvet box resting in his palm.

Theo smiles, rubbing a hand along the back of his neck. “I’ve been waiting for the right time, but now I’m realizing there might never be one. And your Mom is right, Liam. We’ve been together 5 years. 5 amazing years. I’ve loved every second of it. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know there will be hurdles but I know us, we’ll get through them like we always do. I want to be your rock as much as you’ve been mine. I want to wake up every day with you in my arms and know that we're both safe and happy. So what do you say? Will you marry me?”

Liam nods his head rapidly, tears pouring out of his eyes. His voice is raspy when he speaks but he can’t be bothered caring. Not when Theo just asked him to marry him. “Yes. God yes.”

He launches himself off the couch and into his boyfriends’, now fiancé’s, arms. Theo chuckles, early catching him and wrapping his arms around him. Liam kisses him, hand coming up to tenderly stroke Theo’s cheek.

“I love you,” Liam mumbles, brushing their noses together.

Theo smiles, “I love you too. Whatever happens, we’re going to figure it out together.”

Liam knows he’s right. They’re going to get through this. This college thing was just another hurdle for them to jump through. They’ve survived worse.

Liam smiles, kissing Theo again. Behind him he can hear the sound of his Mom sobbing and the shutter of a camera going off.

**Author's Note:**

> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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